OSAKA, Japan – Big opportunities look to be on the horizon for Ramon Cardenas after his performance against Naoya Inoue earlier in May.
Cardenas was not fancied by anyone outside of his own team, yet shocked the world when he had the pound-for-pound star down and hurt at the end of the first round. Inoue recovered, but Cardenas did not shy away, and went toe-to-toe with one of the hardest punchers on the planet. Although Cardenas was stopped in the eighth, some have argued prematurely, he made a lot of fans for his gutsy showing and received his plaudits.
The man spearheading Cardenas’ career, ProBox TV boss Garry Jonas, has revealed that there could be something big coming for Cardenas.
“I think Ramon actually is going to get an opportunity to fight for the interim belt in the WBA,” Jonas told BoxingScene. “That's the thinking, that opportunity, as well as he performed, I think they're going to give him that opportunity to fight for the interim. And when Inoue vacates, that would give him the belt. So I think he's earned that opportunity. [Cardenas] deserves an opportunity to prove whether he's a legitimate champion at that weight class. Unfortunately, everyone at 122lbs has sort of had to wait [for a shot at the belts].”
Cardenas could have opportunities abroad also. Another of ProBox TV’s fighters, Angelo Leo, recently headed over to Japan to successfully defend his IBF featherweight strap. Cardenas may not be far behind him, after Inoue’s promoter, Akihiko Honda, is looking to bring Cardenas to Japan.
“Mr. Honda appreciated his performance to the degree that he was thinking of bringing him here [Japan],” said Jonas. “And then the WBA expressed how impressed they were, and so they're saying, ‘You don't have to go to Japan, fight here and we'll give you an opportunity’. So Ramon did a lot of good with that performance, and I think he's going to get a great opportunity soon.”
Jonas was asked who Cardenas could likely face for the WBA interim title: “There's some sorting out to do, so we don't know yet,” he replied. “But we'll figure it out in the next month or so.”